Electric bond for railway-rails.



No. 657,757. Patented Sept. Il, |900.

H. P BROWN.

ELECTBH; BOND 0R RA|LWAY RA|LS.

I (Applic 8 8 ation tiled Feb. 1 1 99.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

HAROLD P. BROWN, OF MONTOLAIR, NEW JERSEY'.

ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAILWAY-RAILS.

s-PGII'C'TN forming part of Lettere ret-tent No. 657,757, dated september 1i, 1900'.

Application filed February .18, 1899. seriallNo. 705,950. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, HAROLD P. BROWN', a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Electric Bond for Railway-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electric bond for railway-rails in which fixed plugs of suitable electric conducting material have their ends immersed in or engaged with bodies of plastic alloy, which is a plastic-metal compound having high electrical conductivity. These ends are free to change their positions within predetermined limits within the bodies of plastic alloy to accommodate the movement of the ends of the rails.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through a railway-rail and one of the electric bouds,showing the parts in the position which they occupy when in use. Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation, partly in section, of the meeting ends of two rails with the bond in position, the section being taken in the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a bond-plate. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a rail and angle-plate, showing a modified form of the bond; and Fig. 5 shows a modified form of bond-plate.

Referring to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3; inclusive, A represents the base of one rail and A the base of the adjacent rail. Through the flanges of said bases holes u, and a are bored at distances of two inches (more or less) from the ends of the rails, the said holes having, preferably, a slant, as shown, to carry the boring-tool clear of the head of the rail.

In the holes a a plugs B BQ of copper or other suitable electric conducting material, are rmly set, with their outer ends flush with or they might be below the upper surfaces of lthe bases A Al and their lower ends projecting below the lower faces of the said basesAA'.

To insure. a perfect electrical connection between the plugs B B and the walls of the holes in which they are fixed and to prevent corrosion of the contact-surface, the Walls of the holes and the exterior surfaces of the plugs are first amalgamated by applying, foi` example, what is now known in the art as the Edison solid alloy. This is an easily-decomposed alloy of mercury, which will amalgamate the surface and permanently protect it from rust, as the mercury will penetrate some distance into the metal and resist any tendency to oxidize. A groove l) is provided longitudinally along the surface of the plug, for reasons which will hereinafter be stated. A bond-plate O, preferably of fiat form, as shown, is adapted to rest on the railway-tie beneath the meeting ends of the rails and has a width sufficient to extend back from the meeting ends of the rails to a point beyond the projecting ends of the plugs B B. The plate O is provided with cups c c', formed in its upper face at points which will register with the. projecting ends of the plugs B B. The cups c c have a horizontal diameter greater than the diameter of the plugs which project into them, leaving a free play for the plugs inevery direction to an extent equal to or greater than any displacement of the rails,

which is liable to occur either under the influence of the temperature or traffic. The projecting ends of the plugs preferably terminate a short distance above the bottoms of the cups when the parts are assembled. After the walls of the cups cc' have been amalgamated the cups are filled with a plastic alloy which adheres to the am algamated surfaces of the cups and plugs and adapts itself to the movements of the plugs, thereby keeping the Acontact perfect under all conditions, and produces a path of very low resistance from rail to bond-plate and from bond-plate to rail. Whenever the plugs are suddenly jarred or forced downwardly into the cups, the plastic alloy is permitted instant relief by passing up the grooves l; on the plugs.

These grooves also furnish relief for the bodyl of plastic alloy under changes of temperature. The forcing of the plastic alloy up the grooves o serves also to maintain a perfect electrical contact between rail and copper plug.

The bond-plate O has openings for receiving the spikes which hold the rail in position. In the present instance four of these openings are provided (denoted by D D' D2 Dfi) and arranged in staggered order relatively to the IOO longitudinal axis of the rail, so that at least two of the openings-one on each side of the base of the rail-Will be in position to receive the spike, whatever be the Width of the railbase, Within the limits of the rails at present in common use.

Vhen the parts are in assembled adjustment, the angleplate E covers the plugs B B and effectually prevents them from working out should there be any such tendency.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4 the angleplate C is used as a bondplate, and the plugs B2 are fixed in it, While the cups c2 for receiving the 'plastic alloy are formed in the base-iiange of the rail. This amounts to essentially a reversal of the arrangement shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, where the plugs are fixed in the rail and cups formed in the bond-plate instead of cups formed in the rail and plugs iixed in bond-plate. This modified structure is of especial importance in bonding rails which have been laid for a greater or less extent of time, as it does not require the removal of the angle-plates, and hence the work of bonding does not interfere in the least with traffic. In this instance I find it desirable to bore with a drill having a very obtuse point, thereby carrying down a bur from the lower edge of the angle-plate into the base of the rail to close the joint between the base and plate, and to further seal said joint after the walls are amalgamated I force an amalgamated copper tube F into the hole, and then after putting in the charge of plastic alloy the T-plug B2 is forced in, its head being locked to the plate C and its body free to move in the plastic mass, the copper tube yielding the necessary amount.

In both of the forms shown gravity is utilized to hold the plastic material in place, however loose the joints may become.

Should the plate C be insufficient to satisfactorily carry the current, its conductivity may be increased by connecting the cups c c by a rod of copperor other metal of high con-v ductivity, the plate C2 being provided With a channel c3 to receive such connecting-rod, as shown in Fig. 5.

It is evident that either form of this invention may be used to electrically connect con.- tiguous sections of metal pipes, Wires, cables, bars, or other conductors, and that changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not Wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein shown and de scribed; but

What I claim isl. The combination with adjacent rails, of a bond-plate arranged to overlap the meeting ends of the rails, the bond-plate and the rails being provided, the one With electric conducting-plugs fixed thereto and the other with bodies of plastic alloy in position to perinanently engage the said plugs, substantially as set forth.

center? 2. The combination with the adjacent rails, of a plate arranged to overlap the meeting ends of the rails and extended along the flanges at the bases of the rails, the said plate and the flanges at the bases of the rails being provided, the one with electric conductingplugs fixed thereto and the other with bodies of plastic alloy arranged to permanently en# gage the said plugs, substantially as set forth.

3. An electric bond comprising a plate pro vided with 'cups for holding bodies of plastic alloy and rails provided with electric conducting-plugs fixedin their basetlanges with their free ends projecting below the base-flanges in position to enter the bodies of plastic alloy, substantially as set forth.

4. An electric bond comprisinga bond-plate arranged to receive thereon the meeting ends of railway-rails and provided with cups for receiving bodies of plastic alloy and rails provided with electric conductingplugs fixed in their flanges and projecting therefrom in position to dip into the bodies of plastic alloy, the said plug being located in position to be covered by the usual angle-plate, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination a bond-plate adapted to receive the meeting ends of adjacent railwayrails and provided With cups for receiving bodies of plastic alloy and rails having electric conducting-plugs fixed in their base* anges and projecting therefrom into the bodies of plastic alloy, the said plugs and the wall of the Opening in which they are fixed being spaced from one another throughout a small extent of the periphery of the plug to form rcliefconduits between the body of plastic alloy and the top of the base-flange of the rail, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the base-flanges of the rails provided With holes extending therethrough, of electric conducting-plugs fixed in said holes and projecting below the rail-bases and means for maintaining bodies of plastic alloy in permanent engagement With the ends of said plugs, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination With rail-bases having electric conducting-plugs fixed therein and projecting below the bottoms of the raiLbaSes, of a bond-plate provided With cups in posi tion to receive the projecting ends of said plugs and bodies of plastic alloy in said cups in engagement with theplugs, the projecting ends of the plugs being normally spaced from the Walls of the said cups, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with rail-bases provided With perforations therethrough, the Wallsof said perforations being amalgamated, of amalgamated electric conducting plugs xed in said holes in the bases and a bondplate provided with bodies of plastic alloy in position to permanently engage the said plugs, substantially as set forth.

9. In an electric bond, the combination of two or more contiguous conductors, a recep- IOO IIO

tacle formed in one conductor containing a plastic-metal compound and a plug or rod electrically connected to a second conductor and dipping into the said plastic-metal compound, the said plug or rod having a free limited movement relatively to the .said firstnamed conductor, substantially as set forth.

l0. In an electric bond, the combination of two meeting conductors, a hole formed in one conductor containing a plastic-metal compound, and a plug, rod or projection electrically connected to a second conductor and dipping into the said plastic-metal compound, the contact-surfaces of said plugs and holes being amalgamated or rubbed and impregnatedwith a decomposable alloy of mercury, substantially as set forth.

ll. In an electric bond, the combination of two meeting conductors, a receptacle formed in one conductor, a plastic-metal compound in said receptacle, a projection from the second conductor dipping into the said receptacle and means for clamping or binding the two conductors together, the said projection having a free limited movement relatively to the said first-named conductor, substantially as set forth.

12. In an electric bond, the combination of two meeting conductors, plugs or projections extending from same into holes in a third overlapping conductor and a plastic-metal compound contained in said holes, snbstanl tially as set forth.

13. In an electric bond, the combination of two meeting conductors, plugs or projections extending from same into holes in a third overlapping conductor, a plasticLmetal compound contained in said holes and an adherent coating of amalgam on the contactl surfaces of said plugs and holes,fsubstantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinventionI have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 9th day of FebruL ary, 1899.

HAROLD P. BROWN.

C IVitnesses:

FREDK. HAYNEs, C. S. SUNDGREN. 

